Chapter Nine
Rom. 9:1. I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
Rom. 9:2. Great sorrow is to me and unceasing torment to my heart.
In the following discourse he intends to prove that not all who descended from Abraham are his seed, and lest anyone think that he says this in strong agitation of spirit, he anticipates and, removing such a supposition, speaks favorably of the Jews, declaring that he loves them greatly. That you may believe me, he says, I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie. As proof of this he brings forward three witnesses: Christ, his own conscience, and the Holy Spirit, saying: I have great sorrow, consuming my heart at the thought of the Jews, that they are outside of grace; which is what he intends to speak about.
Rom. 9:3. I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
First learn what anathema is. It is separation, alienation. Just as no one dares to touch a gift dedicated to God, so too with the one who is anathematized, only with a different feeling. No one dares to approach the sacred gift out of reverence, as something consecrated to God, while with the anathematized person everyone severs ties, as with one who is defiled and estranged from God.
What then does Paul mean by what he says? He seems to be saying here the opposite of what was spoken of above. There he said that nothing shall separate us from the love of God, but here he says that he could wish to be separated from Christ. He seems to contradict what was said before; but in reality he does not. Here too he expresses his wish to be separated from Christ out of love for God. Everyone was accusing God of having cast out and dishonored the Jews, who had been deemed worthy of adoption, who had enjoyed special glory and were called the ancestors of Christ, and of having brought in their place people who had never known God — the Gentiles — and they were murmuring and blaspheming Providence, as though this were done unjustly and God had deceived the forefathers to whom He had promised gifts. For this reason Paul was in anguish, grieving for the glory of God, and wished himself to be separated, if only the Jews might be saved and their blasphemy against God might cease.
Do you see that out of fervent love for God he desires, if possible, to be separated from the company of those who live eternally with Christ — not from His love, but from His glory and the enjoyment of it? So too fathers often separate themselves from their sons so that the sons may be glorified, by no means estranging themselves from love for their sons, but desiring themselves to be in dishonor so that they may become glorious. Thus the apostle reasons: I, who have accomplished countless labors and who love God beyond measure, desire for the glory of God to be deprived of the glory of Christ. But this does not mean to lose, but rather to gain. With the words "for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh," he indicates his most tender and fervent love for the Jews.
Rom. 9:4. That is, the Israelites, to whom belong the adoption and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the worship, and the promises;
Rom. 9:5. Theirs are the fathers, and from them is Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever, amen.
Here he praises and exalts the Jews, so that no one, as I said, would think he speaks in great agitation of spirit. He subtly expresses that God desired their salvation as well. This is evident from the fact that He deemed them worthy of adoption and glory, gave promises to their fathers, furnished them with all other advantages, and willed that Christ be born from them. But they themselves rejected the benefaction. Therefore, marveling at the love of God, he sends up thanksgiving to the Only-Begotten and says: "God over all, blessed forever." Although others argue that the reception of the Gentiles was not well-founded, we, knowing the mysteries of Christ, know that He is worthy of glorification. At this, Arius should be put to shame, because Paul calls Christ God over all.
Rom. 9:6. But it is not as though the word of God has failed.
I, he says, am inflamed by the fact that God is blasphemed, and therefore expressed the desire that all be saved. But if not all are saved, it does not follow from this that God lied in the promises given to the fathers, and that His word did not come true. He fulfilled what was promised, even though the blasphemers say that He promised to some and gave to others. Listen to what follows.
Rom. 9:6-7. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children.
God, he says, fulfilled what was promised. He said: "To you I will give it, and to your offspring" (Gen. 13:15). So then, let us see what this offspring is. Not all who descended from Abraham are simply his offspring, and not all who descended from Israel are Israelites, but those born after the example of Isaac and distinguished by the virtue of Israel, through which he saw God. For he did not say: who are from Jacob, but: "from Israel," mentioning the more honorable name. Therefore, if you understand who is born after the example of Isaac, you will find that the promise is not false: for to such were the promises given. Therefore God by no means deserves reproach: what He said, He also fulfilled, even though some do not understand this.
Rom. 9:7. But it is said: In Isaac shall your seed be called.
Rom. 9:8. That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as seed.
Rom. 9:9. And this is the word of promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.
Not I, he says, am explaining to you what the true seed of Abraham is, but the Old Testament, which says: "In Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Gen. 21:12). Therefore those who were born after the example of Isaac, that is, according to the promise, are truly children of Abraham, and especially of God. For everything was accomplished by the word of God. And Isaac was born not according to the law and power of nature, but by the power of the promise. "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son" (cf. Gen. 18:10).
So then, Isaac was formed and born by the word of God. In the same way over us, the children of God, in the baptismal font, as if in a womb, the words of God are pronounced, which also form us; because we, being baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, are born. And just as there God promised the birth of Isaac and then fulfilled it, so also our birth He promised through the prophets and then brought it to fulfillment. Therefore the words "in Isaac shall thy seed be called" should be understood thus: the seed of Abraham are those who were born after the pattern of Isaac's birth, that is, by the word of God.
Therefore, the word of God was fulfilled, but God granted what was promised to the true seed, that is, to the believers from among the Gentiles, who became children of God just as Isaac, because they too were of the promise. But if the Jews say that the words "in Isaac shall thy seed be called" mean that those born of Isaac are reckoned as the seed of Abraham, then one must also honor the Idumeans and all who descended from him, because their forefather Esau was a son of Isaac. But the Idumeans are not only not called sons of Abraham, but are even quite foreign to the Israelites and are called aliens.
Rom. 9:10. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived twins at one time by Isaac our father.
He has already proven that although Abraham had many different descendants, Isaac and those who are born like him were called his seed. Now he says: you can see this not only in Isaac, but, what is more important, in brothers born of the same father and the same mother, and moreover twins, that is, in Esau and Jacob. And they did not receive equal rights, but one was chosen and the other was hated. Therefore do not ask why God chose the Gentiles and made them the seed of Abraham, or rather of God, and rejected the Jews.
Rom. 9:11. For when they had not yet been born and had not done anything good or evil (so that God's purpose in election might proceed
Rom. 9:12. Not from works, but from Him who calls), it was said to her: the elder shall serve the younger,